The Flower of the Family by Elizabeth P Prentiss

Author:Elizabeth P Prentiss
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: More Love Enterprises
Published: 2022-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

Then followed a few lines, badly written and badly spelled, from John himself. Lucy was struck with their confident, bold tone. It seemed like the words of a boy of eighteen, rather than fourteen. How could he have grown old so fast? She sat down and wrote to him at once, and in her enthusiasm and trepidation, she told him that if he would promise not to say a word about going to sea until her return, which would be in a few months, she would give him money to take a long journey as soon as he could be trusted from home. She could resort to selling her watch. She thought anything was better than for such a boy to be left to go to ruin. She decided in this hour of anxiety not to use her watch. Since no questions were asked, she thought that no one observed that it was not worn.

She would have gladly hurried home, but she dared not even say that. She saw that both her aunt and Helen wanted her to accompany them, and they would be hurt if she suggested giving up a pleasure they had looked forward to for so long. Besides, when her friend Mrs. Lee came with Miss Prigott to say goodbye before going to the country for the summer, she assured Lucy that Dr. Thornton had spoken very decidedly about her not returning home yet, and she made her promise not to think of it. The matter was once more settled, and they began to prepare for their summer trip. Miss Prigott always went after mountain air somewhere. When one set of mountains failed to rejuvenate her, she sought new ones. She was determined that Lucy reap the benefit of her experience. Mrs. Whittier’s preference was the sea air, and she would not allow Lucy to be taken anywhere else. Miss Prigott grew warm on the subject and urged her loneliness as an argument in favor of her idea, which proved to be a plan to make Lucy her companion for the summer.

Finding her hopes blasted in the most summary manner by Mrs. Whittier, she said, “How could an old woman my age expect a young girl like Lucy to agree to accompany her? Without a father or mother, brother, sister, or child, how can I dream of anything better than solitude? And I ought to have learned better years ago!”

Lucy was touched by these words. She had never heard that Miss Prigott was so very lonely. She longed to throw her arms around the little wrinkled figure and tell her she would go with her anywhere and love her too. Perhaps nothing restrained her but an awful sense that Mrs. Prigott was not happy with all her vast wealth.

In a few moments, Mrs. Lee rose to go. Miss Prigott lingered behind and whispered to Lucy, “I hope you will be candid, my dear, and speak the exact truth. If I give up my mountain journey and follow

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